Description of a new long-tailed skink (Scincidae: Trachylepis) from Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are relatively unknown in terms of their herpetological diversity. Based on specimens collected in the Congolese region of the Katanga and the northeast of Angola during the first decades of the twentieth century, de Witte and Laurent independently suggested, based on morphological and coloration differences, that populations of T. megalura of these regions could belong a new “race”. We compared specimens of T. megalura (including the type specimens of T. megalura and T. massaiana) with Angolan and Katangan museum specimens as well as newly collected specimens from Angola. Coloration pattern and morphological characters, in combination with substantial divergence in the 16S mitochondrial gene, confirm the distinctiveness of the west Central African form, and it is here described as a new species. Data regarding its natural history, ecology and global distribution are presented.

Between sand, rocks and branches: an integrative taxonomic revision of Angolan Hemidactylus Goldfuss, 1820, with description of four new species

“…In the last two decades, Angolan herpetological knowledge has greatly improved, thanks to enhanced social stability and accessibility to previously unexplored regions, which helped to unearth this incredible local biodiversity (Marques et al 2018;). These efforts have led to the description of new species (Haacke 2008;Conradie et al 2012Conradie et al , 2020Stanley et al 2016;Marques et al 2019aMarques et al ,b, 2020Branch et al 2019bBranch et al , 2021Ceríaco et al 2020a,b,c;Hallerman et al 2020), the rediscovery of several poorly known species, and documenting new range extensions and additions to the country's species list (Branch and Conradie 2013;Conradie and Bourquin 2013;Ceríaco et al 2014;Ernst et al 2014Ernst et al , 2015Ceríaco et al 2016;Branch 2018;Branch et al 2019a;Vaz Pinto et al 2019;Baptista et al 2019Baptista et al , 2020Ernst et al 2020Ernst et al , 2021.…”

Rock island melody: A revision of the Afroedura bogerti Loveridge, 1944 group, with descriptions of four new endemic species from Angola

“…In recent years, we have seen Angola embracing international collaboration that has led to an increase in biodiversity knowledge (Huntley 2009;Huntley and Francisco 2015;Brooks 2012Brooks , 2013NGOWP 2017). This is especially true in the field of herpetology, with numerous new species of squamates being described in the last decade (Conradie et al 2012(Conradie et al , 2020Stanley et al 2016;Marques et al 2019aMarques et al , b, 2020Branch et al 2019;Ceríaco et al 2020a, b, c;Hallerman et al 2020; this study). Many of these new species descriptions apply to the more arid regions below the Angolan escarpment, reinforcing this area as a regional biodiversity and endemism hotspot (Branch et al 2019a) that requires effective protection.…”

“…The current reptile diversity in Angola comprises about 300 species (Marques et al 2018;Branch et al 2019a; and subsequent descriptions listed below). New species are constantly being added (Conradie et al 2012(Conradie et al , 2020Stanley et al 2016;Marques et al 2019aMarques et al , b, 2020Branch et al 2019b;Ceríaco et al 2020a, b, c;Hallerman et al 2020) and more new species are expected in the country (Branch 2016;Branch and Tolley 2017;Branch et al 2017a, b;Butler et al 2019). As Angola is rebuilding after decades of civil war, more remote regions are becoming accessible to researchers, with the promise of additional cryptic species.…”

Saving collections: taxonomic revision of the herpetological collection of the Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical, Lisbon (Portugal) with a protocol to rescue abandoned collections

“…The most recent checklists of the herpetofauna of Angola report 117 species of amphibians and 278 reptiles, of which 54 are endemic to the country (Marques et al 2018;Baptista et al 2019;Branch et al 2019). However, the available checklists are rapidly becoming outdated due to the rapid growth of species discovery and new species descriptions (see Branch 2018;Marques et al 2019aMarques et al , b, 2020Ceríaco et al 2020a, b;Hallermannn et al 2020). Marques et al (2018) provide a comprehensive review of the history of herpetological research in Angola.…”